Young musical pros Altomare, Klena discuss roles in 'Anastasia' stage version 

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Mary Beth Piel (left) joins Derek Klena and Christy Altomare in the Hartford Stage production of "Anastasia"

Anastasia,” which opened in previews on May 12 at Hartford Stage and will open officially next week, the production’s two main characters, Anya and Dmitry, are reunited after a years-long separation. Similarly, the two actors playing those parts, Christy Altomare and Derek Klena, respectively, are once again playing opposite each other in a major musical, having been paired in a revival of the much-maligned musical, “Carrie,” at New York’s Lucille Lortel Theatre several years back.

Because of their previous work together, they both report that it has been easy to slip into the roles of lovers in this adaptation of the 1997 animated film, which contained a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime” and “Rocky”), who have added some 14 or 15 new songs to this production. In advance of the show, we sat down with these two New York based performers on Tuesday to discuss their experiences with the production. “We are milking the chemistry between us throughout the show,” Altomare reports. Co-star Klena agrees: “The love story is so believable in part because of having worked with each other beforehand.”

The two leads explain that this production, which contains a new book by Tony-Award winning writer Terrence McNally, is a complete rethinking of the animated film as well as the 1957 film version which starred Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner, which had a screenplay by Guy Bolton and Arthur Laurents. While the pair did not want to give away too many secrets about the new production, which is being helmed by Hartford Stage’s Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak doing his first musical since winning the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” they were willing to share a few of the changes that an audience familiar with the animated version might expect.

For example, the character of the resurrected Rasputin, the dark villain of the movie who is out to destroy Anastasia, has been eliminated from the plot, but a new more realistic antagonist has been added. There is also a renewed emphasis on the love story, Klena indicated. “Audiences will understand that this is essentially the same overall story of Anastasia,” he continued, “with the young Anya, the amnesiac survivor of the execution of the Russian Royal Family in 1916, trying to find her family and discover who she really is.”

Of course the production is tweaking history, as more and more evidence mounts that in real life, Anastasia was killed along with the rest of her family. But for years there was an ever-present myth that somehow Anastasia had survived and indeed from time to time, some young woman would come forward to claim that she was Anastasia. The musical, Altomare mentions, is loosely based on a real person named Anna Anderson, who gained some fame through her protestations that she was Anastasia. And it is this myth that the musical “Anastasia” is celebrating.

For this production’s Anya, as the Anastasia character has been renamed, it’s been a joy to work with Ahrens and Flaherty. “I grew up listening to the “Ragtime” album,” Altomare reveals. “I listened to it every day practically, and fell in love with the animated “Anastasia” as well. Getting to work with the team that put the music together is so thrilling that I looked forward to going into rehearsal every day.”

“’Ragtime’ was one of my favorite shows growing up,” the production’s Dmitry adds. “Some of my favorite music has been created by Ahrens and Flaherty. Their film of ‘Anastasia’ was a film for my generation. We grew up listening to the music and it’s now terrific to be playing characters that we know so well.”

Both Altomare and Klena have especially appreciated being able to witness the creative process of the show. The composers and book writer McNally have been present in Hartford throughout the rehearsals and, as Altomare shares, “they have fed off the actors as well.” She explains, for example, that sometimes “Lynn (Ahrens) will come in some morning and have a new lyric for you, based upon her watching you perform and move. The whole team is not afraid to murder their babies, if it is going to get the show to a point where it is rock solid.”

“Lynn and Terence put a lot of thought into every single word they are writing,” Klena pipes in. “They have this way of working together that they developed when they first worked on “Ragtime” together that we as actors feel very confident in what we are saying or singing.”

“It has been exciting to work with people at the top of their game,” stresses Altomare. “They know what they are doing and it has been refreshing to work in this type of environment.

The two have also enjoyed the opportunity to work with Tresnjak, who has also directed musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House and at other regional theatres around the country. “Darko had a clear vision for this project,” Klena indicates, “so that you knew what he was trying to achieve. At the same time, he gives you some flexibility that allows you to explore the character within that vision. This is helpful for an actor because you’re not worrying about how you are going to go about developing the character—you are getting the specific vision from the start.”

Altomare explains that she found the process to be “very much a loving and nurturing one, so there’s no ego involved, while we are able to try things within the parameters.”

She also praised choreographer Peggy Hickeyr, a frequent collaborator with Tresnjak. “She and Darko have an outstanding working relationship,” she says. “She is in touch with his ideas and vision and exudes positivity.” Altomare explains that in addition to the dances typical of a musical, Fisher also had to create a mini-version of “Swan Lake” since some of the action takes place at the Russian Ballet.

While both leads have never worked with Tresnjak before and are making their Hartford Stage debuts with this production, they each bring a variety of musical experience to their roles, in addition to their casting in the “Carrie” revival. Altomare has been on Broadway in “Mama Mia” and in the first national tour of “Spring Awakening” as well as regionally in “Daddy Longlegs” and “Camelot.” Klena was in “The Bridges of Madison County” and the 10th anniversary company of “Wicked” on Broadway and in the musical “Dogfight” off-Broadway. Regionally he has been seen in “Diner,” “The Unknown Soldier,” and “Hairspray.”

They both report being excited about creating new roles for the musical stage and are aware of the hype around the show moving on to Broadway next season. “Some of these things are out of our control,” Klena states, “so we are concentrating on doing our jobs to the best that we can and supporting the authors’ and the director’s vision.”

While not 100 per cent historically accurate, the show, Klena feels, “pays tribute to the Romanoff family, but humanizes the story into almost a fairy tale about what could have happened.”

“It is ultimately a story that you can believe in,” Altomare adds, in large part to the beauty of the music. “The new songs,” she assures, “are just as infectious as the songs in the film. I predict that people will want to get up and dance at some points and leave the theatre humming the score.”

“Anastasia” runs through June 19 at Hartford Stage. For tickets and information, call the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860.527.5151 or visit the theatre’s website at www.hartfordstage.org.

Andrew Beck has served as a marketing professional, theater critic, magazine editor, fundraiser, newspaper columnist, and lobbyist, with a special interest in the arts and culture. He is based in central Connecticut. You may contact Andrew with your comments and questions.

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